Beware the Big Yellow Roadside Plant-It's Sap will Severely Burn your Skin
People are being warned about a poisonous plant popping up around the roadsides. It's called wild parsnip. (Around our area the plants are turning burn now)
It’s a poisonous weed that causes a painful rash and eats away at your skin. It looks very similar to a dill plant or Queen Anne's lace and grows about 4 feet tall.
It’s common in the ditches and the road edges. The oil on the plants contains chemicals in that react with sunlight and cause severe burns.
So what happens if you become a victim? (there are many photos online of skin injuries caused by exposure-I will not post them here-they are pretty gruesome.)
"The sap of the wild parsnip has a chemical in it that is phytophototoxic, so that means it's a chemical from a plant and the chemical becomes toxic in the presence of sunlight. If you get that chemical from the sap on your skin, the chemical could cause burns if you are exposed to sunlight," Vt. Toxicologist Sarah Vose said.
Anyone who comes in contact with wild parsnip sap should try to wash it away with soap and water, and stay away from sunlight as much as possible. If burns are discovered, be sure to contact your health care provider.
Experts say you can brush against wild parsnip without harm and it's only dangerous when sap oils inside the stem come in contact with skin. (Recently cut stems may contain the oil.)
The CDC says if your skin does start to burn from wild parsnip, immediately rinse it with rubbing alcohol. Also keep it clean and apply an antibiotic cream while it heals.
Animals and other plants have not been shown to be affected by wild parsnip.
Our local TV station WCAX.com posted this warning a week ago.
If you have Wild Parsnip in your yard healthvermont .gov has some suggestion on the safe management of this plant on your property.